Mark Dawson > Quotes

“Unfortunately for Peter McCluskey, the security services had discovered proof that corroborated the suspicion that he had not eschewed his old comrades-in-arms at all. Indeed, he had become even more virulent in his hatred of the British, had turned his back on Sinn Féin, and cast in his lot with the Real IRA, the off-shoot organisation that denounced the Good Friday Agreement and vowed to continue the war. McCluskey had continued to raise money so that they could buy their bullets and their bombs, and Maguire was here to collect that bounty.”
― Mark Dawson, Salvation Row

“Alexander took the bottle and poured himself a third glass. Milton hoped that he or Izzy might take the bottle back to the kitchen, where he couldn’t see it, but he left it on the table. Alexander looked at Milton. “What did you say you were doing in town?” “I didn’t. Business.” “What business is that?”
― Mark Dawson, Salvation Row

“Bizness grinned at them both, displaying his gold teeth. He reached over for a remote control and quietened the music so he could more easily be heard. “Look who it is, my two best bredderz. Big Pops and little JaJa. A’ight, bruv?”
― Mark Dawson, The Cleaner

“There was a small mini-market serving the area. It was sparsely stocked, a few bags of crisps and boxes of cereal displayed under harsh strip lights that spat and fizzed. Alcohol and cigarettes, however, were well provided for, secured behind the Perspex screen from behind which the owner surveyed his business with suspicious eyes. Milton nodded to the man as he made his way inside and received nothing but a wary tip of the head in return. He made his way through the shop, picking out cleaning products, a carton of orange juice and a bag of ice. He took his goods to the owner and arranged them on the lip of counter ahead of the screen. As the man rang his purchases up, Milton looked behind him to shelves that were loaded with alcohol: gin, vodka, whiskey.”
― Mark Dawson, The Cleaner

“The front door of the BMW opened, and a man slid out from the driver’s seat. Elijah recognised him immediately. Risky Bizness was tall and slender, a good deal over six feet, his already impressive height accentuated by an unruly afro that added another three or four inches. His face was striking rather than handsome: his nose was crooked, his forehead a little too large, his skin marked with acne scars. His eyebrows, straight and manicured, sat above cold and impenetrable black eyes. He was wearing a thin designer windcheater, black fingerless gloves, and his white Nike hi-tops were pristine. He wore two chunky gold rings on his fingers, diamond earrings through the lobes of both ears, and a heavy gold chain swung low around his neck.”
― Mark Dawson, The Cleaner

“Group,” the second man said into the headset microphone. “This is Control. Comms check.” “Copy that Control, this is One. Strength ten.” “Eight, also strength ten.” “Twelve, copy that.” “Ten, strength ten.” “Eleven, same here. Strength ten.” “Five. Ditto for me.” “Eleven, what can you see?” The agent code-named Eleven was standing at the bar,”
― Mark Dawson, Ghosts

“Two streets west and he was back in the guts of the Estate, the ten-storey slabs of housing blocks with the nauseatingly bright orange balconies festooned with satellite dishes.”
― Mark Dawson, The Cleaner

“The restaurant uniform was a utilitarian grey, lasciviously tight across her breasts. The trousers flowed down from a narrow, but not thin, waist. Her shoes were square-toed and of plain black leather. She was very pretty.”
― Mark Dawson, The Cleaner

“He saw men wearing nothing but fundoshi, thongs that left little to the imagination, as they hauled mikoshi—portable shrines—on their shoulders, stopping every few steps to clap”
― Mark Dawson, Ronin

“They were what they were: young boys caught in the awkward hinterland between being children and men. He felt a moment of mawkishness.”
― Mark Dawson, The Cleaner

“She’d made up her mind: she’d enjoy the rest of the day with Charlie and then make her excuses”
― Mark Dawson, Pretty Face

“right aiming the gun with a lazy, insouciant”
― Mark Dawson, The Jungle

“appointment.”
― Mark Dawson, The Cleaner

“Well, fuck me,” he said. “If it ain’t English.”
― Mark Dawson, The John Milton Series: Books 13-15

“you know where Anakin has that choice where he can either go the good way or the bad way? The light or the dark? He thinks like he’s got a choice, but he ain’t got no choice at all, not really. It’s an illusion. The dark side has him by the balls, and it ain’t never going to let him go. Destiny, all that shit, you know what I mean? That’s where you are, blood. Your teachers, the police, the Social, your mum—they’ll all say you got a choice, you can choose to try hard at school, get your exams, get a job, except that’s all bullshit. Bullshit. Brothers like us, we ain’t never going to get given nothing in this world. If we want to get the stuff we like, we gonna have to take it. Right?”
― Mark Dawson, The John Milton Series #0.5-3

“As their eyes met, the man nonchalantly flicked away the joint he had finished and tugged up his T-shirt to show the butt of the handgun shoved into the waistband of his jeans. Milton looked away. He didn’t care that the man would consider that a small victory. There was nothing to be gained from causing trouble.”
― Mark Dawson, The John Milton Series #0.5-3

“He drove through the Square Mile, its clean streets, well-shod denizens, steepling towers and minarets a gleaming testament to capitalism.”
― Mark Dawson, The Cleaner

“One did not apply for a job like his, one was chosen,”
― Mark Dawson, The Cleaner

“The New Forest was famous for the thousands of ponies that were allowed to roam freely,”
― Mark Dawson, All the Devils Are Here

“Pope”
― Mark Dawson, The Avenger

“He jumped down from the platform onto the sleepers. He stepped over the live rail.”
― Mark Dawson, The Cleaner

“Life was not black and white: it was a spectrum of greys, infinite in variety, some darker than others.”
― Mark Dawson, The Ninth Step

“Not if you want to really make a difference. I had that problem myself, back when I first started coming. Thought it was crazy, no one was gonna want to listen to my shit. But I got over it in the end. Eventually, the way I saw it, coming along and not doing anything was a waste of my time. That’s why I do the coffees—start small, right, and take it from there? You got to get involved.” Rutherford spoke slowly and deliberately, as if measuring each word. The effect was to imbue each with a persuasive weight. He was an impressive man. “I suppose so.” “Which way you headed, man? Back to Hackney?” “Yes.” “Me too. Come on—you don’t mind, we can walk together.”
― Mark Dawson, The Cleaner

“He stared in stupefaction as a group of teenagers smashed the window of a parked police car.”
― Mark Dawson, The Cleaner

“One of the empty flats had been turned into a crack house, and they scurried into it. When they shuffled out again, hours later, they were vacant and etiolated, halfway human, dead-eyed zombies, already desperately working out where they would find the money for their next fix.”
― Mark Dawson, The Cleaner

“A ringing sound danced in Milton’s ears, and his eyes stung with sweat. The smell of cordite was acrid, and he gagged a little. A trickle of blood, specked with bubbles of breath, dribbled from Bizness’s mouth.”
― Mark Dawson, The Cleaner

“madrasa;”
― Mark Dawson, The John Milton Series #0.5-3

“Number Five: Lydia Chisholm. Number Eight: Oliver Spenser. Number Nine: Connor English. Number Ten: Joshua Joyce. Number Eleven: Bryan Duffy.”
― Mark Dawson, In Cold Blood

“A moment of doubt passed across the boy’s face, Milton’s sudden equanimity shaking his confidence.”
― Mark Dawson, The Cleaner

“diesel”
― Mark Dawson, The John Milton Series #0.5-3